Great Langdale - April 2006

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Great Gable webcam image reproduced by kind permission of the WasdaleWeb, and remains the property of the said organisation

Map images produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service. Images reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland.

All other material and site design (C) Alex Roddie 2005

Great Langdale, April 2006
Trip report

So this is what perfection looks like ...

27/04/06: Full report finally online. I have also added a few 'bonus' pictures from my brother's extensive collection below. Enjoy!

Despite an appalling weather forecast for that weekend, our trip to Great Langdale this April featured three fantastic days and has to rank as the best trip so far. Unfortunately we were forced to cut the trip short due to a flooded campsite--the weather broke on Monday evening--but after three days of unforgettable experiences, who can complain?

April really can be a mixed time of year. We encountered, varyingly, full-on winter conditions, warm and sunny weather, and (on the Langdale Pikes plateau) a blend of the two, where the wind and melting snows lent a chilly edge to an otherwise mild day. The trip was however characterised by our first ascent of a mountain in winter conditions: fittingly, it was Bowfell, a favourite of mine that I'm luckily very familiar with!

Trip Report Pages
Saturday	Bowfell via the Climber's Traverse
Sunday	Pike of Blisco and Crinkle Crags
Monday	Pavey Ark and Jack's Rake
Memorable Moments
Funniest moment	Trying to get into the drying room early one morning, only to find someone in a sleeping bag on the floor directly behind the door! Me: "Oh sorry, I didn't know you were there." Sleepy person: "Whaaa?"
Most epic moment	Bowfell summit. Need I say more?
Scariest moment	Almost starting an avalanche on the Climber's Traverse every time we took a step.
Most satisfying moment	Silently contemplating the beautiful valley and realising that Lakeland really is one hell of a place.
Most technical moment	Either the Bad Step or the difficult finish I chose at the end of Jack's Rake.
Most uncomfortable moment	Waking up, feeling the damp groundsheet, and realising that most of the stuff in my tent's porch is actually floating.

Bonus photos
Me surveying the bouldery wasteland above Three Tarns	Blisco summit photo! Crinkle Crags in background.
Pike of Stickle and the moon	The Crinkles, dark and forboding, on the first morning